The laundry basket felt heavier than usual that Tuesday morning. Stella Tamul, a former environmental scientist, found herself carrying load after load up two flights of stairs, her Apple Watch buzzing with each flight climbed. But when she checked her fitness app later, those thirty minutes of hauling, folding, and organizing registered as nothing more than “other activity.” The disconnect hit her immediately: why didn’t the physical effort of maintaining a home count as real exercise?
That moment of frustration would spark a revolution in how we think about fitness. Today, ChoreFit stands as the first app to scientifically validate everyday movement as legitimate exercise, transforming invisible household labor into measurable, trackable workouts.
The Science of Seeing What’s Hidden
For decades, the fitness industry has operated on a narrow definition of exercise: structured activities that happen in gyms, on tracks, or during designated workout times. Meanwhile, millions of people were burning significant calories and building real strength through the physical demands of daily life, vacuuming, lifting laundry, scrubbing floors, organizing spaces, without any recognition or measurement.
Tamul saw an opportunity to bridge that gap through science. ChoreFit is built on the research foundation of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), which measures the energy expenditure of activities outside of sleeping, eating, or formal exercise. But unlike generic fitness trackers that lump household activities into vague categories, ChoreFit employs a sophisticated load-adjusted MET algorithm.
“Most fitness apps treat housework as barely worth counting,” Tamul explains. “But when you’re carrying a weighted vest while vacuuming or wearing wrist weights during cleaning sessions, the energy expenditure is substantial. Our algorithm accounts for that added resistance and calculates precise calorie burn.”
From Invisible to Empowering
The breakthrough wasn’t just technological, it was cultural. By quantifying the unseen physical effort behind household management and caregiving, ChoreFit addresses a deeper issue of recognition and validation, particularly for women who perform the majority of unpaid domestic labor.
“It’s time to make invisible labor visible,” Tamul says. “The effort women put into maintaining their homes, caring for families, and managing the endless cycle of daily tasks is real physical work, and it deserves recognition.”
The app’s clean interface allows users to bundle chores into workout “stacks,” sync seamlessly with Apple HealthKit, and view their daily fitness analytics in real time. Whether logging vacuuming sessions or tracking the physical demands of organizing a closet, ChoreFit celebrates every movement as a contribution to overall wellness.
The Personal Becomes Universal
Tamul’s journey to founding ChoreFit began during her own career transition from environmental science to entrepreneurship. Balancing motherhood, professional pivots, and household management, she experienced firsthand the feeling that her physical efforts at home somehow “didn’t count” toward her fitness goals.
“I was a lifelong runner, so I understood the science behind exercise physiology,” she recalls. “But I also understood the reality of busy life. There had to be a way to honor the physicality of care work and daily maintenance.”
The idea evolved from personal need into a broader mission. Through beta testing across the United States and a successful Kickstarter campaign, ChoreFit has resonated with demographics far beyond its initial target, from stay-at-home parents and active older adults to wellness enthusiasts who recognize that movement doesn’t require a gym membership.
Breaking Through Traditional Barriers
What sets ChoreFit apart from competitors isn’t just its unique approach to activity tracking, it’s the philosophical shift it represents. While most fitness apps demand additional time, equipment, or motivation, ChoreFit meets users exactly where they are, in the movements they’re already making.
The app’s load-adjusted MET algorithm provides far more accurate feedback than traditional trackers, accounting for variables like added weights, task duration, and individual effort levels. This scientific precision transforms what was once dismissed as “light activity” into recognized, measurable exercise.
“ChoreFit creates a sustainable path to movement for people who want to stay active without overhauling their entire routine,” Tamul notes. “It’s fitness that fits into your life, not the other way around.”
Beyond the Algorithm: Building Community
Currently preparing for its App Store launch following successful beta testing, ChoreFit has already begun building a community around its core message: that meaningful movement happens everywhere, not just in designated workout spaces. The app’s growing social media following reflects a hunger for this type of recognition and validation.
User feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with beta testers reporting increased motivation to tackle household tasks and a greater sense of accomplishment in their daily routines. Many express surprise at discovering how much physical effort their regular activities actually require.
The Movement Forward
ChoreFit represents more than a fitness app, it’s a cultural statement about value, recognition, and the democratization of wellness. By celebrating strength in ordinary activities, it challenges long-held assumptions about what counts as exercise and who deserves fitness recognition.
As the app prepares for its public launch, Tamul’s vision extends beyond individual users to broader societal impact. ChoreFit has the potential to reshape how we think about physical activity, particularly for caregivers and individuals whose daily responsibilities make traditional exercise challenging.
If you’re ready to see the fitness potential already built into your daily routine and want to transform everyday effort into recognized wellness achievements, ChoreFit offers a revolutionary approach to movement that meets you exactly where you are.
About ChoreFit
ChoreFit is a wellness app that transforms everyday household activities into measurable, trackable workouts using scientifically-validated algorithms. Founded by former environmental scientist Stella Tamul, the app syncs with Apple Health and Apple Watch to provide accurate calorie tracking for non-traditional exercise activities. Currently in beta testing with plans for App Store launch, ChoreFit is pioneering a new approach to fitness recognition that validates the physical effort of daily life.
VisitChoreFitand follow them on Instagram at @chorefit.